


From the Ashes

by danrdarrenc



Category: Days of Our Lives
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-25
Updated: 2017-07-25
Packaged: 2018-12-06 15:32:47
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,373
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11603544
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/danrdarrenc/pseuds/danrdarrenc
Summary: Will returns from the dead to find Sonny and Paul in a relationship. Life goes on in Salem, and Will and Sonny find their way back to each other.





	From the Ashes

**Author's Note:**

> Based on a prompt on Tumblr. Mild spoilers, based on rumors for Will's return to the land of the living.

A lot had changed in the two years that he had been dead. His cousin Abby had faked her death; Hope had murdered Stefano, only for them to find him alive in Prague; his uncle Eric had drunkenly killed Daniel Jonas in a car accident and gone to prison and been subsequently pardoned and released; his father Lucas and his mother-in-law Adrienne were engaged (that was the shock of a lifetime); and that was only a few of the crazy things that had happened while he was gone. 

Most importantly, though, Sonny had returned to Salem from Paris, a year after he had walked out on Will and their marriage. Sonny was now CEO of Titan Industries also dating Paul. 

Will was sitting on the couch in Horton Town Square reading a book, a week after his somewhat shocking and unexpected return to the living and to Salem. He hadn’t seen Sonny yet, didn’t even know if Sonny had been aware of Sami and Lucas’s plot to bring him back to life; if he was being honest with himself, he was a little terrified to see Sonny again. He’d been warned by Lucas that Sonny and Paul were together, but it didn’t really register with him until he glimpsed them walking into the Square hand-in-hand.

Will swallowed thickly at the confirmation. Heart thumping painfully in his chest, all Will could do was stare. From what he had gathered from Lucas and Adrienne, Sonny and Paul had started dating around New Year’s, ten months ago. That would have been not even a year and half since his own death. He didn’t begrudge Sonny moving on and loving again - he thought he was dead, after all - but seeing Sonny with Paul so openly left him feeling justified in his actions those last few months. Will knew Sonny had always harbored a burning torch for Paul and he had refused to be with him out of an obligation to Will and Ari; all it took was an appropriate amount of time of grieving before he felt comfortable giving in to those feelings.

A loud shout of “Sonny!” pulled Will from his thoughts. It had come from Paul who had caught Sonny before he collapsed to the ground. Sonny had spotted him sitting on the couch and nearly fainted. 

Taking a deep breath, Will made his way across the Square to where Sonny and Paul were standing. 

“Will?” Sonny croaked.

“Uh, yeah. I guess your mom didn’t warn you. Can we go somewhere to talk?”

“I’m gonna go,” Paul said.

“No,” Will said firmly. “It’s okay. You can come too. Better to explain it all once anyway.”

“I have a room at the Martin House,” Paul offered. “We won’t be interrupted.”

Will nodded, and followed Sonny and Paul to the B&B. 

* * *

When they were all settled in Paul’s room, Sonny with a bottle of water to calm his still shaking hands, Will filled them in.

“So from what I know about what went on, my parents were tired of having a dead son. So they heard about this doctor in Tennessee who could bring people back to life. When they tracked him down, it turned out he was Dr. Rolf, who used to work for Stefano and had done some crap to John and Grandpa Roman and stuff. Anyway, they were there and they asked him if they could resurrect me. And he did,” Will finished rather lamely. “I don’t really have much more to say about it. That’s the story I got.” Will shrugged. 

No spoke for a minute or two. Then Paul said, “So you’re here now.”

Will nodded.

“And you remember everything?”

Will eyes drifted to Sonny, who still hadn’t said anything, “Yeah. I remember everything. I don’t appear to have any lasting effects from having been dead for two years.” He chuckled. “I’ve just got a lot of town gossip to catch up on.”

Paul’s lips twitched up into a tiny smile just as his phone buzzed. “Damn. It’s Steve. I have to go. Will you be alright, Sonny?” Sonny nodded, his eyes wide. “Don’t be a stranger, Will.” He grabbed his jacket off the bed and left Will and Sonny alone. 

With Paul gone, the air in the room became stifling. After a beat, Will said quietly, “Are you okay, Sonny? You haven’t said anything.”

“You’re alive.”

“And you’re with Paul. So I was right.”

“What?”

Will sighed and ran his hand over his face. “About you being with me only because Paul had said no to you. I’m sorry you felt like our marriage was an obligation you couldn’t get out of. You should have just told me you wanted to be with Paul. It would have made things a lot easier.”

Without giving Sonny a chance to respond, Will left.

* * *

Chad (and Gabi, who was apparently still living with Chad even after Abby and Dario’s plot with regards to her blew up in his face) had graciously allowed him to crash at the Mansion. He’d been away from Arianna Grace for so long, that he could barely stand to leave when she was there. 

Following his encounter with Sonny and Paul, Will holed himself up in the DiMera Mansion, seeing no one but Lucas and Marlena (and Kate who was also living in the Mansion as Mrs. Andre DiMera). Adjusting to life back in Salem had not been as difficult as he had imagined. The town was essentially the same as when he had died. What he was struggling with was his feelings about Sonny. 

He had died still in love with Sonny and with a stupid fantasy that maybe Sonny would come back to him one day. But he had known even then that that he’d been foolish to believe Sonny wanted to be with him when he could be with Paul. Sonny and Paul’s current relationship was proof of that. In all honesty, he didn’t think he’d ever be good enough for anyone’s love. He had Sami to thank for that. 

Sonny had moved on, and now it was his turn to do the same. He would try to find someone who was maybe just as messed up as he was. Maybe then he could have a lasting relationship. 

* * *

About a month after the talk at the Martin House, Will was sitting in the DiMera’s garden enjoying the last remnants of fall before it turned into winter when Harold announced that Sonny was at the front door.

“He’s looking for me?” Will asked. 

“Yes, sir.”

Blinking, confused, Will followed Harold into the house. “Sonny?” 

“Hi. Can we talk?” Sonny asked.

“Okay.” Will led him into the living room and sat stiffly on the blue couch.

“I haven’t seen you around,” Sonny said.

“Yeah. I’ve kind of holed up here with Ari.”

“Are you really okay? You’re not like a zombie or a vampire or something?”

Will actually laughed. “No. I’m fine. I still have some nightmares sometimes,” Will admitted. “But other than that, I’m okay.”

“I’m sorry, Will.”

“For what?” 

“For everything in those last few months. I was pretty terrible to you.”

Caught off guard, Will said, “I deserved it.”

“No. No, you didn’t. I could have handled it better.” 

“But you couldn’t deal with your feelings for Paul, I get it, Sonny. You never really loved me.”

“Why do you keep saying that?” Sonny shook his head a little as he spoke.

“Because it’s true.”  

Sonny frowned. “I was destroyed when you died. I cried non-stop for a week. I was literally about to make a flight back to Salem when Uncle Vic called me to tell me what happened.”

“You were coming back?” Will asked, shocked.

Sonny took a deep breath and sighed. He looked away when he said, “I was coming home to tell you I loved you.” 

Will’s heart jumped into his throat. 

“I buried a piece of my soul when I buried you,” Sonny said shakily, turning his gaze back on Will. “You funeral was the worst day of my life. So don’t you dare tell me I never loved you.”

“But you’re with Paul now,” Will said slowly. 

“I know.”

“And you love him.”

“I know.”

“So where does that leave us?”

“I don’t know.”

* * *

Will lay awake for a long time after Sonny’s visit and confession. In fact, he didn’t get much sleep at all over the next couple of weeks. His mind was plagued with thoughts of Sonny and the last eight months of their marriage, and the what ifs: if he had not been in Ben and Abby’s apartment that day; if he had left a half hour or ten minutes earlier; if Sonny had caught an earlier flight back to Salem.

Could they have fixed their marriage? Would Sonny have been better able to deal with his feelings for Paul? Would he himself have been better able to deal with his insecurities? Or would Sonny have continued to drift towards Paul? Would Sonny have ended up sleeping with Paul too?

Days turned into weeks and weeks into months, and Will and Sonny had not broached the subject of their relationship again since that day in the DiMera Mansion. Will no longer secluded himself in the Mansion, however, and the three of them had bumped into each other around town, sometimes Sonny and Paul together, sometimes individually. They were always civil to each other but they never passed beyond pleasantries; if Paul knew about the conversation between Sonny and Will, he gave no indication. 

On Christmas Eve, Will intentionally sought out Sonny for the first time since being back. He found him at the Kiriakis Mansion. 

Shaking away memories of their wedding, Will announced himself. “Hey.”

“Will! Hi.” Sonny smiled at him. “What brings you here?”

“I was wondering if you had plans for tomorrow.”

“I think we might be having dinner here but that’s it. Why?”

“I thought you might like to come to the Horton tree trimming. See Ari put her ornament on the tree. And maybe hang yours,” Will added tentatively. 

“Oh. I, uh, yeah, I’d like that.” 

Will frowned for a second at Sonny seeming to be flustered but said, “You can bring Paul. Aunt Jen said it’s okay.”

“Oh. Okay. Thanks.” 

“Great. I’ll see you tomorrow then.” He left.

* * *

Christmas at the Horton House was the same as it had been for as long as Will could remember participating. Aunt Jen had made Gran’s famous cookies and doughnuts and Abigail had made eggnog. There were a few new additions since the last time Will had been there: Thomas, of course; Eli Grant, Julie’s grandson; Valerie, his mother and Abe’s girlfriend; Gabi had brought Chad, who was also there as Thomas’ father; Lani Carver, JJ’s girlfriend and Abe’s daughter; and John and Marlena had been invited to be with Paul, Will, and Eric who was dating Jennifer. 

It was a little bittersweet hanging his ornament next to Sonny’s when they weren’t together anymore, but he nearly cried when Arianna Grace tenderly placed her ornament on a low-hanging branch. She’d grown up so much in the two years he’d been dead, and he wondered if this was how Lucas had felt when he’d first found out he was his son. He’d have to remember to ask how Lucas has coped with knowing he’d missed out on two years of his child’s life through no fault of his own. 

Throughout the day, Will caught glimpses of Sonny and Paul talking quietly with each other and generally seeming to really be in love. His heart ached, but the ache was softened by the knowledge that even though Sonny had loved him, he had always loved Paul more. In a way, it made it easier for him to try to stop loving Sonny.

Towards the end of the evening, Will found himself alone with Paul in the kitchen cleaning up. Will’s eyes searched Paul; he looked the same as before, if maybe a bit more confident in himself. It was that confidence that Will had found so attractive so long ago in that hotel room. Will felt its pull even now. 

“Thank you for taking care of Sonny,” Will said, as he dumped dishes into the sink.

“What?” Paul paused in his cleaning of the dishes in the sink to look at Will.

“While I was…away. Thank you for taking care of him.”

“I love him.” 

Will knew it wasn’t meant to hurt him - he didn’t think Paul had a mean bone is his body - but it stung anyway. “I know. He deserves someone like you to love him.”

Paul blinked at him and his brow furrowed. “Will?”

Will looked away, blinked away tears that were suddenly burning his eyes. “I knew I was never good enough for Sonny. I almost - I did - chicken out of our first date because of it. We wouldn’t have gotten together if Sonny hadn’t tracked me down and insisted.” 

“I didn’t know that,” Paul said quietly. Then, “He can be very persuasive,” Paul said with a grin.

Will smiled at that. “Yeah. He can be when he wants.” 

“Anyway, I wanted to apologize for the way I behaved to you after…” Will trailed off, the implication clear. “None of it was your fault. Of all of us, you were the innocent party.”

“I maybe could have backed off Sonny a bit,” Paul conceded. After a beat, Paul said, “He really loved you, Will. I saw him when he came back for your funeral. It really cut him up.”

“Thanks,” Will said. He leaned his back against the cabinets as Paul finished cleaning the last of the dishes. “Promise me you won’t screw it up like I did? You got a second chance. I know from experience how rare that is.”

Paul dried his hands on a dishtowel before answering. “I promise.”

Will nodded. “I should get back to Ari. It’s getting late. See you around?”

“Yeah.”

Will gave Paul another little awkward nod of his head and went off to find his daughter.

* * *

January and February passed uneventfully for Will. He remained living in the DiMera Mansion, mostly because he wanted to be where Arianna was and because he didn’t have enough of his own money yet to get his own place. Lucas had graciously offered him the second bedroom in his apartment but he felt less like an intruder in the Mansion than with Lucas and Adrienne who were preparing for their Valentine’s Day wedding. 

Chad had offered Will a spot on the  _Sonixx_ staff but Will declined, having gotten into so much trouble there the first time. Instead, he asked Jennifer and Adrienne if there was a spot for him at the _Spectator_. He didn’t want any favors, but they wouldn’t hear of his concerns and promptly made him a section editor. (The staff was running low anyway). 

Grateful, and feeling like a real reporter, Will buried himself in his work. He spent time catching up with Gabi, Chad, and Abby (separately, of course), when he wasn’t working or playing with Ari, and he even volunteered for Eric at the Horton Center on the weekends sometimes. Overall, he was adjusting quite nicely to life back in Salem. It almost felt like he had never left. 

Once a week, Sonny had dinner at the Mansion with him, Gabi, Chad, Thomas, and Arianna. It was strange in the beginning, their attempts to fall back into the tri-parenting routine they had had so briefly before Gabi had gone to prison. It was like riding a bicycle, though, and Gabi seemed grateful that she now had another built-in babysitter. Will never passed up an opportunity to take Ari off of Gabi’s hands. Sometimes Sonny even joined them, and Paul. 

It crossed his mind occasionally that maybe he should hit The Spot, have some fun with people outside his family, but the idea of picking up guys still didn’t feel right. His love for Sonny still burned in him, and after the fiasco with Paul, it would feel too much like infidelity.

* * *

The day before their parents’ wedding, Sonny caught Will leaving the _Spectator_ office.

“What’s up?” Will asked, falling into step beside Sonny as they headed to the Square.

“All ready for the wedding?”

“I still can’t believe we’re going to be stepbrothers,” Will chuckled. “My parents were stepsiblings for like a split second when Grandma Kate and Grandpa Roman married. They never talked about it.”

Sonny grinned. “Are you…are you bringing anyone?” Sonny fished.

Will looked at him curiously. “Does Arianna count?”

Sonny smiled wider. “No!” Sonny laughed. 

“Why? You’re going with Paul, right?”

Sonny’s smile faded slightly. “He’s actually away on a mission with John. Steve came back for the wedding, but Paul stayed.”

Will stopped walking and grabbed Sonny’s arm. “Is everything okay between you guys?”

“Yeah. Yeah. Why would you ask that?” Sonny asked, not looking at Will.

“I don’t know,” Will said, as they started walking again. “He hasn’t been with you the last couple times you visited with Ari and now he’s missing your mom’s wedding.” 

“Life with a private detective.” Sonny smiled but it didn’t reach his eyes. 

Will let the subject drop.

* * *

Lucas and Adrienne’s wedding went off better than the last one had. Justin did not interrupt and Adrienne didn’t faint. Surprisingly, Kate made no effort to derail the ceremony, and she was uncharacteristically calm at the reception.

The ceremony was a small affair at Chez Rouge, Maggie having gone full out for her nephew. The place looked incredible and the food was delicious.

“Dance with me?” Sonny asked, holding his hand out to Will as a slow dance started to play. 

It was getting late and Gabi and Chad had already taken Arianna and Thomas home. 

Will blinked up at his former husband. “Okay.”

Will followed Sonny onto the dance floor. Heart thumping wildly in his chest, Will wrapped his arms around Sonny’s neck while Sonny gripped him tight around the waist. It was an old pose between them, borne out of lazy nights in their apartment, music tinkling softly out of the radio, Ari asleep in the other room. Will swallowed his heart and didn’t dare pull his arms any tighter for fear of getting to close to Sonny. 

They swayed silently to the music for a minute or two. Then Sonny said, “How’s work at the paper?” 

“It’s been great. I’m not destroying any lives so I’m already off to a good start.”

Sonny grinned. “Are you…are you seeing anyone?” 

Will cocked his head in curiosity. “That’s the second time you’ve asked me that in twenty-four hours. Are you sure everything is okay between you and Paul?”

Sonny didn’t answer right away. The song changed over to a slightly faster one, but Will and Sonny remained swaying where they stood. Eventually, Sonny answered, “We’ve just been fighting a lot recently. That’s all. Nothing major.”

Will searched Sonny’s eyes. He knew Sonny still wasn’t being completely honest with him. “You know you can talk to me, right? I mean, we used to be best friends. Talk about anything. We’re still those people, Sonny. At least I hope we are.”

This time, Sonny didn’t respond at all. Instead, he leaned forward and brushed his lips against Will’s. It was an echo of the kiss Sonny had given him all those years ago in the alcove off Horton Town Square, the kiss that had sent him spiraling into Gabi’s bed. 

“I can’t,” Will whispered, breaking the kiss but leaning his forehead against Sonny’s. “We broke because I cheated on you. I won’t do that to you and Paul too.”

Will dropped his arms from Sonny’s neck and pulled away completely. “You need to figure what - who - you want. You have for awhile now, I think you know that. And if it’s me you still want, you know where to find me.”

Will bowed his head, as he always did when it was too difficult to look at Sonny, sighed, and walked away.

* * *

Will didn’t see much of Sonny following their parents’ wedding; they hardly ever bumped into each in town anymore. Will had a sneaking suspicion that, apart from their weekly dinners with Ari, Sonny was avoiding him. 

Will ran into Paul at John and Marlena’s loft around the middle of March. Will arrived to visit Marlena, as Paul was getting ready to leave with John to go to the Black Patch office. 

“Oh, hey,” Will greeted when Paul opened the door.

“Will, hi.” Will didn’t miss the way Paul’s smile faltered for a second. “You here to see Marlena?”

“Yeah. Is she here?”

Paul nodded and stepped out of the doorway to let Will into the apartment. 

“Everything go okay with your mission?” Will asked.

“What?”

“Sonny had said you were on a mission with John. That’s why you weren’t at the wedding.”

“Oh, yeah. Everything went great.” Paul smiled but Will could tell it wasn’t sincere. 

Will’s brow furrowed. “Everything okay? You don’t seem like yourself.” It was so unlike Paul to be anything other than sincere and chipper. In all of the time that Will had known him - before, in the hotel room, in the time since he’d been back - Paul had always been kind and true. 

Paul blinked at him and frowned. “I probably shouldn’t be saying this but Sonny still loves you and wants to be with you. I don’t think he realizes it yet.”

Will’s lips twitched into a tiny smile. “That’s a thing he does. He loves someone he won’t admit to loving and pretends he doesn’t realize it yet.”

Paul smiled sadly. “He’s been pulling away from me. It’s why we’ve been fighting so much. He won’t talk to me.”

Will smiled wryly. “How did we end up here? With me and you reversed?”

“You died,” Paul said, and they both laughed. 

Before either of them could say anything more, John and Marlena emerged from the kitchen. Paul waved goodbye and followed his father out of the loft.

“Will? Is everything okay?” Marlena asked.

“I think it will be.”

* * *

As the first week of April dawned bright through the curtains in Will’s new apartment near the DiMera Mansion (he had finally gathered enough money to put a deposit down on a place without help from Lucas), Will did his very best not think about the fact that his and Sonny’s anniversary was in a few days. It was the first anniversary he was spending separated from Sonny.

He occupied himself with extra shifts of work at the _Spectator_ and extra dad duty with Arianna. For the most part, he succeeded in passing the first couple of days without remembering his wedding.

But on the morning of April 3rd, he woke with a heavy weight in his chest and a knot in his stomach. Sighing and running his hand over his face, Will forced himself to get out of bed. It was only 6:30 in the morning. He wasn’t expected at the paper for over an hour, but going in early would take his mind off being without Sonny. 

He showered, washed, and dressed quickly, and left his apartment, too anxious to eat. Ten minutes later, he was unlocking the _Spectator_ office. 

He’d been focused on an article he was writing for a half and hour when there was a knock on the door. Frowning in confusion - Jennifer and Adrienne were the only ones who came in early and they both had keys - Will cautiously made his way to the front door.

Sonny was standing outside. He smiled and waved when Will approached.

“Sonny?” Will asked, surprised, when he opened the door.

“Can I come in?”

Will hurried to let him inside.

“Are you alone?”

“Yeah.”

The words was barely out of his mouth before Sonny had stepped into his personal space and pulled him into a hard kiss. Will gasped against Sonny’s mouth, instinctively grabbing Sonny’s waist and pulling him closer. Sonny went willingly, his fingers finding their way into Will’s hair. 

It was a long time before they broke apart. 

“I broke up with Paul,” Sonny said when he’d caught his breath. “I love you.”

“So what does this mean?” Will asked. 

Vaguely, he thought his (their) aunt and stepmother (Sonny’s mother) would be arriving at work soon, and they should move out of the doorway to one of the back rooms, but Will couldn’t find it in him to care, not when Sonny was in his arms again after so long.

“I want to be with you.”

“What about everything that happened?” Will searched Sonny’s eyes. “Me cheating on you hasn’t gone away.”

“I reacted badly. I’m sorry. You were right about me not dealing well with my unresolved feelings for Paul.”

“And now? You’ve been in a relationship with him for over a year.”

Sonny pulled away and sat down on the couch that was in front of the window by the door. Will sat down next to him, 

“I’ll always love Paul. He was my first love,” Sonny admitted. “And I definitely had to resolve the feelings I left in San Francisco when I left him. But - I loved you so much, Will, that a part of me died when you did, and I changed. I…hardened. Paul noticed. My dad noticed. I think Uncle Vic even noticed. I’d felt the change in me for awhile but I didn’t realize how much different I was until I was sitting in a jail cell waiting to be charged with my uncle’s murder. I guess after your funeral, I didn’t really want to be me anymore, so I turned myself into something completely different. I’ve tried the last few months to get myself back to that place before I lost you, but I haven’t quite managed to get there yet.” 

Sonny laced their fingers together where they rested on top of Will’s knee. 

“I haven’t been right since I went back to Paris after your funeral. I’ve been carrying around the pain of your death for so long. It’s affected every aspect of my life. I haven’t been fully committed to Paul since we got back together. Paul knows it. He wasn’t surprised when I told him I still love you, that I want to be with you.”

“I know. He told me a few weeks ago he knew.”

Sonny gaped at him and then had the grace to look ashamed. 

“Can I ask you something?” Will asked.

“Yeah, of course.”

“What happens now?”

“I don’t think we should get remarried right away,” Sonny said almost immediately. “I think we should date again. Start over. Abby and Chad jumped back into their marriage when she came back and, well, you know how well that worked out.”

“Okay. Good. I was going to say the same thing,” Will said with a soft smile.

“Have you eaten breakfast?”

“No. I wasn’t very hungry this morning.” Will didn’t elaborate as to why.

“Well, it doesn’t look like there’s anything going on here yet. So, you want to head to the Square to get something to eat?”

“Is this our first date?” Will smirked.

“Maybe,” Sonny teased, standing up and holding out his hand for Will.

Will’s lips stretched into a smile, as he slid his hand into Sonny’s. He locked the door behind them and let Sonny lead him away from the office.

“Hey, Will.”

“Yeah?”

“Happy anniversary.”

* * *

It was strange to be dating his husband. To be fair, their marriage had been invalidated by his death, but in his heart Sonny would always be his husband. They continued their weekly dinners with Chad, Gabi, Thomas, and Arianna Grace, but in between they found themselves going to movies, going to The Spot, and hanging out on a regular basis.

It was an echo of the last time they were boyfriends, except neither of them had illusions of perfection anymore and neither lost sight of the fact that forever might not be attainable. They also learned to carefully and painstakingly re-build a relationship founded on trust and honesty. They told each other everything, even painful things, even when they knew it would brew into a fight.

The morning after Sonny’s visit to the _Spectator_ Will had asked Marlena for a recommendation for a marriage counselor or couples’ therapist. Things were good between them but Will wanted the number so they could forestall any issues that might blow up into something big. 

He also began talking to Marlena regularly, and steering clear of asking Kate for any personal advice. Marlena had been his saving grace during his coming out and Kate had been his downfall in keeping the Paul fiasco from Sonny. Marlena never complained about being Will’s personal therapist; she was simply too overjoyed to have her favorite grandson back to care that he had essentially become her patient. 

In deference to Will and their new relationship, Sonny eased off things at Titan. He remained CEO of the conglomerate but he dragged Philip out of hiding to be his second-in-command and he gave Brady the responsibility of handling international affairs. After the shock of being arrested for Deimos’s murder, Sonny had already begun to question his decision to be involved so heavily with the company; the reestablishment of his relationship with Will only solidified the matter.

* * * * * * * * 

Falling back into their relationship had been relatively easy, picking up each other’s habits again like riding a bicycle. Despite a desire on both their parts to not rush into things, they found themselves reigniting their sex life rather quickly. A simple touch of the hands lit their skin on fire, or a soft, chaste kiss turned heated hastily. They relearned and reclaimed each other’s bodies, even as they discovered new ways to push each other to their limits, drive them over the edge of pleasure-pain. 

Will found himself happy in all aspects of his life: he was alive, he had his daughter with him regularly, he had a good, secure reporting job with a reputable newspaper, and he could freely give his heart to Sonny again.

Sonny, too, found himself happier than he had been in three and half years, if he was being honest. Will was alive, he was succeeding in overseeing Titan Industries, he no longer feared his lingering feelings for Paul, he had his daughter as regularly as Will did, and he could feel himself becoming once again the person he had been before Will had died, before Will had cheated, before Will had left for Los Angeles so long ago. 

They were both in good places individually, and it made their relationship easier, less pressured. 

* * *

Will and Sonny didn’t interact with Paul too much until a month after they started seeing each other again. Rafe and Gabi were hosting Arianna’s fifth birthday party at TBD, and Paul had been invited. 

“Are you nervous to see him?” Will asked, fixing Sonny’s tie.

“A little.” A shadow crossed Sonny’s face. “I just…I feel like I should have treated him better.”

Will looked at Sonny curiously. 

“With the whole Titan thing. I was pretty wrapped up in Deimos and Titan for most of the time we were together. I was kind of one-track minded.” 

Will’s face softened. “He’s always loved you, Sonny. He was probably just glad to have the chance to be with you again.” It didn’t hurt Will to admit it, not the way it would have once.

Before Sonny could respond, Ari pulled their attention away by attacking Will’s legs. Will grinned and picked her up. She was almost getting too old and heavy to be carried, but he still couldn’t quite stop holding his daughter.

Just then, John and Marlena walked into the club, Paul right behind them. Will felt Sonny tense beside him as Paul made a beeline for them.

“Hey,” Paul said. He didn’t seem any worse for wear for the break up with Sonny. In fact, he seemed like his usual chipper self.

“Hi,” Will said.

“Hi,” Sonny said softly. 

“How’ve you guys been?” Paul asked.

“How are you?” Sonny asked, deflecting Paul’s question.

Paul’s eyes flickered between Will and Sonny for a brief second. Then he said, “I’m okay. Working a lot with my dad and Steve.” His smile didn’t appear to be anything but sincere.

There was a crash in the kitchen. “Excuse me,” Sonny said and left Will and Paul alone.

They stood in silence for a minute. Will broke first. “How are you really doing, Paul?”

Paul’s smile faltered. “I won’t lie and say I’m not hurting. But if I’m being honest with myself, I knew from the moment Sonny told me he was married that I’d never get him back.”

“But you did.”

Paul huffed out a laugh. “Not really. You were always a cloud hanging over us.”

“I’m sorry,” Will said kindly.

Paul waved him off. “I can’t blame Sonny for falling in love with someone else. It’s my own fault. And I can’t blame you for being the one Sonny fell in love with.”

Will was silent, overwhelmed by Paul’s generosity. He knew he couldn’t have been so kind if the roles were reversed, as much as he had stayed away from Sonny in the time since he had been back. 

Swallowing the lump in his throat, Will asked, “So what are you going to do now?”

“Work. Maybe coach a little league team this summer. Thought I might hit up The Spot. I think it’s time I tried to move on.”

“Paul…”

Paul cleared his throat to forestall whatever it was Will was going to say. “I, uh, I think I’m going to go find my dad.”

With a tight smile, Paul walked away just as Sonny appeared beside Will.

“Everything okay?”

“I hope so,” Will answered, his eyes on Paul’s back. “We should probably bring out the cake. Ari’s getting antsy.”

Sonny agreed with a grin.

* * *

A week into June, Will said rather randomly, “I think we should set Paul up on a date.”

Sonny’s hand stalled where he was stirring pasta in a pot on the stove. “You what?”

“I think we should set Paul up on a date,” Will said again, coming to stand next to Sonny in the kitchen. 

(After Ari’s birthday party, when they had been standing outside Will’s apartment kissing lazily, Will asked, “Move in with me?” It hadn’t been planned, like Sonny had once planned it, with a key wrapped in a box, but it felt right.

Sonny’s face lit up. He nodded and crashed their lips together. Will laughed into the kiss and somehow managed to unlock the door and fumble them both inside.)

“Why?”

Will made a face and sighed with mock annoyance. “Because he’s lonely and nursing a broken heart? And I feel bad for being the cause of it?”

“I don’t think we should get involved,” Sonny said, not looking at Will.

Will frowned for real. “Are you getting jealous on me?”

“No. I’m not,” Sonny insisted. “I just don’t think Paul would appreciate it.” He dumped the finished pasta into a colander to drain the steaming water. 

“I do,” Will responded, handing Sonny their bowls. “Paul’s famous and it can be hard for famous people to know who’s after their fame or them as a person.”

Sonny huffed. “Who would we even set him up with? Neil and Brian aren’t in town anymore. And all of my old friends have boyfriends.”

“I was thinking about Derek,” Will suggested, following Sonny to the table. “They dated a little bit. They seemed to like each other. They just never really got a chance to try things for real.”

“Because I was hanging around Paul like a puppy, right? That’s what you’re implying.” Sonny was smiling, so Will knew he wasn’t offended.

“You said it, not me,” Will said, grinning back around a mouthful of pasta.

“Okay. You win. We’ll set Paul and Derek up on a date.”

Will’s eyes twinkled with glee and Sonny’s heart swelled.

* * *

Since their anniversary, Will and Sonny found themselves often at The Spot on Friday nights. Gabi and Chad had agreed that they would watch Ari and Will and Sonny would take her on Saturday, to allow Chad and Gabi their date night. 

During those Fridays, Will had seen Derek at the club almost every week, so it was a safe bet that he would be there that night. 

“Do you see him?” Will said loudly into Sonny’s ear so he could be heard over the music.

Sonny shook his head. “I still don’t know how you convinced Paul to come out with us,” Sonny said.

Will grinned sheepishly. “Don’t hate me. But I kind of roped Grandma Marlena into convincing Paul it might do him some good to get out. He said he might come here when I spoke to him at Ari’s party but we’ve never seen him here so I thought he might not have followed through.”

“You’re evil, Will Horton.”

Will shrugged. 

Sure enough, they spotted Paul walking into the club. He saw them first and made a beeline for them. 

“Hey,” Will said, forestalling any awkwardness.

The three of them hadn’t seen each other too much since Arianna’s birthday party. Will thought he looked a little paler than usual, but it could have been the flashing lights of the club. 

“How are you?” Sonny asked. 

Paul put on a smile that seemed genuine, and said, “Working a lot. Keeping myself busy. I’m starting a little league coaching job next week.”

“Paul, I -” Sonny started but Paul cut him off.

“Don’t, Sonny. It’s okay. I’m fine. Really.” 

The three of them stood in a thick silence despite the music for a minute. Then Sonny said, “Hey, isn’t that that bellhop from the Inn?” Sonny pointed to a place across the dance floor.

“Oh, yeah. It is,” Paul said, following Sonny’s gaze. “Derek.” 

“You liked him when you dated, didn’t you?” Will asked.

Paul turned his attention back to Will. “Yeah, I did.” Paul’s face split into a real smile, seemingly almost involuntarily.

“Go talk to him,” Sonny encouraged. “If he’s here, he probably doesn’t have a boyfriend,”

“You’re here,” Paul pointed out.

“We’re here together,” Sonny countered. “It looks like he’s alone. What harm is there in trying?”

Paul studied Will and Sonny. They had such earnest and friendly looks on their faces that Paul gave in. “Alright, alright. I’ll go talk to him,” Paul mumbled and walked away.

* * *

“I saw Paul this morning,” Sonny said, his fingers running lazily through Will’s blonde hair.

They were curled up in bed, Will’s head pillowed on Sonny’s chest. A fan was blowing air on them, the apartment stifling in the Midwestern mid-July heat. They were both naked and a thin sheet was the only thing covering them, their legs criss-crossed underneath. 

“Mmmm,” Will hummed, halfway to sleep.

“He was having breakfast with Derek.”

Will shifted his head at that, so he could look at Sonny. “Really?” 

Sonny smiled and nodded. “I didn’t talk to them, but they looked happy. Paul was laughing at something Derek said.”

Will’s face lit up. “See.” Will poked Sonny’s chest. “I told you it was a good idea.”

“We’ll see,” Sonny joked. 

Will stuck his tongue out at Sonny.

* * *

“Wanna get some brunch at the Pub?” Will asked Sonny one Saturday towards the end of September. “Ari’s staying with our parents, so we don’t have dad duty today. Let’s go out.”

“Alright,” Sonny agreed with a smile.

* * * * * * * * * *

“This was a good idea,” Sonny said, lacing their fingers as they left the pub an hour and a half later. “You might be a Brady but you don’t cook like one.”

Will threw his head back laughing. “Yeah, well, my mom once almost blew up our apartment trying to microwave popcorn so you know where I get it from.”

Sonny shook with laughter but stopped abruptly when he realized Will had stopped walking and was staring at him. “What?” Sonny asked, alarmed.

“We’re good, right, Sonny? You and me?”

“Yeah, of course.” When Will didn’t say anything, Sonny asked, “You okay?” His face was all concern.

“Yeah, I just - I love you,” Will said, gathering his thoughts. 

“I love you, too.”  
  
Will smiled. “I want us to _work_  this time, Sonny. I want us to last.” He ran his free hand over his eyes and laughed nervously. “This isn’t coming out like I wanted it to,” Will mumbled to himself. Then, louder, to Sonny, “When you left for Paris, I really, I really didn’t know what to do with myself. All I knew how to do was love you. And then when I came back after…you know…You were with Paul and it felt like I was vindicated in everything I’d felt and done with regards to you and Paul.”

“Will, I know all this.”

“Sonny, please let me finish,” Will begged. “So I tried. I tried so hard to move on, I did, but I guess that hope that you would love me again never really went away. And then you were kissing me on our anniversary and telling me you still loved me and wanted to be with me again and it felt like a dream.” Will was rambling now, his thoughts moving faster than his mind could create coherent sentences. “And we’re both in better places than we were back then, with our jobs, and you with Paul, and Paul has a boyfriend, and we’re all friends and everything is just _so good_. I’m so scared, Sonny. I’m so scared that the other shoe is going to drop.” 

It wasn’t at all what he had planned to say this morning when he asked for brunch at the Pub. 

“Hey,” Sonny soothed, taking Will’s free hand in his own. “I’m right here. I’m not going anywhere this time, I promise. I mean it, Will. No more running away.”

Will searched Sonny’s face. It was open and honest and earnest in a way it had never been since Will had followed Sami to LA. 

Letting go of Sonny’s hands, Will reached into his pocket and pulled out a little box. With a deep breath, Will fell onto his knee and flipped open the box to reveal a silver band. Looking up at Sonny, Will asked, “Marry me?”

“God yes,” Sonny breathed and leaned to down to kiss Will’s lips, his hands on Will’s face.

Will grinned into the kiss, standing up and circling his arms around Sonny’s waist. It was a new beginning, same as their first kiss in that spot had been so many years ago, Will’s heart beating a steady drum against his chest same as it had then too. 

Sonny broke away first, a smile tugging at his lips, his arms draping around Will’s neck. “You got a new ring.”

“To be honest, I don’t know what happened to my ring,” Will replied. “And I didn’t have yours. Besides, I want this to be a new beginning for us, one that we don’t mess up. I thought the best way to do that was with new rings.”

To emphasize his point, Will pried himself away from Sonny so he could take the ring out of the box. Sonny held his left hand out for Will. Will obliged and slid the ring onto Sonny’s finger, where it sat snug like it had always belonged there.

Before Sonny knew what happened, Will had produced another ring box from inside his jacket. “Do you want to -?” Will started to ask, but Sonny was already taking the box from him.

Will laughed and held his own hand out for Sonny. Like Sonny’s, the ring fit snug on his finger as if it should have always been there. He never planned for his finger to be empty ever again.

Sonny grinned at him. “I love you, husband.”

“We’re not married yet.”

“You were always my husband, even when you weren’t.”

Will blinked back sudden tears. To hear Sonny say that was overwhelming. “Me too.”

Sonny’s arms found their way around Will’s waist; Will’s found their familiar place draped around Sonny’s neck.

“I love you,” Sonny said.

“I love you, too.”


End file.
